Shadows in the Snow
by Keruha Digifox
Summary: After being framed, Rachel is the prime target of the Black Organization. Will Conan be able to figure out things in time to save her? How will their Christmas end up this time?
1. Suspicion Express

**Umm… This is the first fic I've ever done. I'm thirteen so please be nice. Humor will kick in by chapter 2. Promise!**

**Disclaimer - Nobody but the guy named Gosho Aoyama owns Conan. Get it in your head!**

**Oh, and before I start. That middle aged man isn't Vodka.**

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**Darkness filled the room. The only light that dared shine was from a window painted with frost. As snow fluttered to the ground outside, Conan pressed his ear to the only door, listening for movements. A girl with long brown hair shivered out of fright behind him. She had no idea what was going on but she knew it was no laughing matter. She hesitated, but eventually asked,**

**"Conan, what's going on?!"**

**Conan sighed and turned his head away from the door. It didn't sound like anybody was on the other side. He walked silently to Rachel and looked up into her deep blue eyes.**

**"Rachel, there's something I have to tell you," he whispered with a tone of sadness, "I-I'm really…"**

**Suddenly the door that Conan had been listening through banged open to reveal two men dressed in black. One was tall and had long blond hair. The other was short and stubby but no scarier than his partner was.**

**"End of the line, detective," the tall one said, grinning as he lifted a small object of metal and pointed it at Conan. BANG!**

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**Conan woke up with a jerk. His heart thumped madly in his chest as new surroundings appeared.**

**"Conan?" Rachel said looking up from a novel she had bought earlier.**

**"Gah! Leave her alone!" the boy shouted, not recognizing the voice for a second.**

**"Conan, calm down. You were just having a bad dream."**

**As snow danced in the wintry blackness of night, Conan's mind gradually began to register his surroundings. Slowly, things became clear and concise. He glanced around and beheld the familiar rows of seats occupied by people of all sorts. Conan was sitting next to a large window that showed nothing but a collage of black and white blurs. They were on a train heading back home from a nice vacation.**

**"Oh…" he whispered slightly embarrassed.**

**Rachel looked at her watch.**

**"Why don't you go back to sleep Conan. It will take a while before we reach home," she suggested.**

**"Umm… Right…"**

**She smiled. Little did Conan know his head was resting on her lap a few minutes ago. He searched for the sleeping position he was in but with no luck. There was little space between Rachel and the window. Even being three feet tall couldn't help him find a decent position.**

**As he continued to search, a crash of papers and books took place next to Rachel. Conan looked over to see a middle aged man desperately trying to get his possessions, which were now scattered all over the aisle. The man had short black hair with whites and grays here and there and dark brown eyes.**

**"Darn it!" he hissed. "Young lady, would you hold this for a moment?"**

**The man handed Rachel a small black case then dropped to the floor to get his stuff in order. Conan stared unblinking at the case. It seemed familiar, but where could he have seen it before? Before Conan could study it further, the man took his case back from Rachel, thanking her. Conan watched as the strange man walked off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was definitely something suspicious about him. Why was he carrying so much stuff anyway? He pondered the thought for a moment but eventually decided it was probably nothing. Alas, Conan went back into finding a sleeping spot in the little space his seat gave him. Man, how did he ever even fall asleep in a space as small as this before?**

**The man walked into a new car. People from both sides either stared out the window or slept in uninterrupted silence as snow whirred past the train in small white blurs. He continued walking down the aisle as his eyes fixed on the right row of seats. He was looking for somebody. His fingers nervously rubbed the small black case he had handed to Rachel. The guy then noticed a black hat sheltering a head covered with long blond hair. His eyes gleamed with relief yet there was also a hint of slyness behind his smile.**

**"Sorry, I'm late. I had a bit of a problem with this girl."**

**The man with the black hat turned. His cold eyes pierced through the guy's heart.**

**"What girl?"**

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**Light shined into the cars once more. Conan had a bad night of foreboding dreams and restless, broken sleep. He took a deep yawn as the train came to a halt and people started getting up to leave. He looked over to Rachel who looked almost as sleepy as he was. She pocketed the novel she was reading and went over to wake up her dad who was just across from her.**

**"Come on, dad! Our stop is here!" she said nudging Richard.**

**"Give me just a few more minutes…." He groaned half asleep.**

**"DAD!"**

**'_The way her dad sleeps, I wouldn't be surprised if we ended up in Osaka by the time he wakes up'_ Conan thought, hopping from his seat. Conan stifled another yawn and looked wearily around as passengers grabbed their stuff and headed out. Then something odd caught his eye. It was that man who dropped his stuff next to Rachel. He was talking to somebody Conan couldn't quite see.**

**"So that's the one that took several of the pills, eh?"**

**"Yes. I'd take care of it myself but there's too many people around."**

**Conan stood there listening to the conversation until Rachel miraculously got Richard to his feet.**

**"Come on, Conan. Let's go," Rachel called.**

**"Just a minute!"**

**"DING-DONG! Attention passengers! We will soon be boarding for…"**

**Rachel gave a frustrated sigh and grabbed Conan by the collar.**

**"We need to go NOW!"**

**'_Darn this body'_ he thought as Rachel dragged him down the aisle. He took one more glance at where the two suspicious men were having a conversation but to his dismay they were gone.**

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**Okay the first chapter of my fiction. I'm sure my next chapter will be longer.**


	2. Christmas Shopping

**Okay, second chapter is done.I made this way longer than the previous one so it might be more interesting. And thanks for the reviews! hugs you**

**…. And I still do not own Case Closed.**

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**Snowflakes continued to flutter silently in the white night. As icicles glistened in the moonlight, the snow on the ground remained untouched. Occasionally a drip of water fell to its fate upon the hard cement of the street. The drip was barely audible, but it broke the intense silence of the neighborhood. Total silence can be a scary thing but tonight was peaceful. That is, for most people.**

**The Detective Moore Agency remained quiet along with its neighbors but inside, a whole different story was taking place. Conan lied tangled in a dangerous situation not knowing the illusion of his dream. In his head, a dark room surrounded him, ready to take its prey. He looked in every direction but there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. A cold laugh emerged from behind him. He looked around to see Gin who clutched a knife tightly in his hand and at his feet Rachel was lying on the floor, clearly dead…**

**"NO!" Conan cried. In an instant he was awake. He gasped, searching for Gin and Rachel but saw nothing but an empty room with boxes scattered here and there. He caught his breath just in time to see the real Rachel barge through the door with a panicked expression. Before Rachel could say anything he reassured her with sheepish smile.**

**"Oh, another nightmare?" Rachel asked, now relieved it wasn't something much more terrifying.**

**"Yeah," Conan replied. He looked down at his blanket, which now only covered a quarter of his legs. The rest of it lay in a heap next to him. Rachel walked into the room and knelt down beside Conan.**

**"That's the fifth nightmare you've had this week. Conan, I'm getting concerned. Just what are you dreaming about anyway?"**

**"Umm… It's nothing."**

**"It doesn't seem like nothing."**

**The shrunken detective started to realize that he wouldn't be able to get away so easily this time. Immediately he thought of a lie that could possibly throw Rachel off the scent. The lie was a bit childish. However, that's what all of his lies had been ever since he moved in with Rachel. Such is the life of a victim of the APTX drug.**

**"Okay, I dream that there's a monster in my closet."**

**"Err…. Conan, our storage room doesn't have a closet," Rachel said looking around, confused.**

**After mentally whacking himself for forgetting he slept in the storage room, Conan quickly answered,**

**"I mean your closet."**

**"My closet? Now why would there be a monster in my closet?"**

**"Uh… Just because?"**

**"Now Conan, that's silly. There's no monster in my closet. Come on, I'll even show you."**

**Rachel pulled Conan to his feet. 'Well, at least I earned a free trip into Rachel's room,' Conan thought as the teenage girl led him into her room. His thoughts quickly went back to his nightmare, though. The continuous nightmares were making him really uneasy. It was as if something horrible was going to happen very soon. He brainstormed on all the possibilities to this. Had he done something lately to reveal his cover? If so, were the goons sneaking into the agency at this very moment? Conan cowered at the thought.**

**"Uh… Conan?"**

**The boy instantly snapped out of his trance to see Rachel's closet door wide open revealing an assortment of clothes including Rachel's favorite sky blue jacket.**

**"See Conan? There's no monster in my closet," she stated with a smile.**

**Conan gave a grin as though he was relieved. However deep inside his thoughts, the secret crime organization continued to haunt him. 'I guess I should at least try to put this out of my mind,' Conan thought, 'How else will I get any sleep?' He watched as Rachel closed the large oak door and felt somewhat calmer.**

**"Now promise me…no more nightmares, okay."**

**"I promise."**

**"You should get some sleep now…"**

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**Rachel fiddled in the kitchen the next morning, trying to get breakfast cooked. 'Conan probably slept well the rest of the night,' Rachel thought, cracking an egg against the rim of a fair sized pan. 'At least I haven't heard anything from his room.' Rachel was corrected however, as a drowsy boy walked into kitchen. By his red eyes and messed up hair Rachel could clearly see he'd had quite a night's struggle.**

**"What happened!? You look terrible!" Rachel gasped nearly dropping the eggshell into the pan with the yolk.**

**"Never… want… to… sleep again," was all poor Conan could manage to say as he took a seat on one of the dining room chairs.**

**Rachel set the eggshell down on the counter, still shocked. She could've sworn that closet thing would take care of the nightmares. The teenager left her post near the stove to check out how bad he was. Conan seemed to be rocking on the chair with his eyes just barely open. It looked like he was almost comatose. The boy, sensing Rachel's presence, made no hesitation to come up with a quick lie to cover up the restlessness.**

**"Don't worry, Rachel… It wasn't another nightmare… I was………"**

**Before Conan could finish his sentence, the lack of sleep got to him and he crashed onto the floor. As he snoozed on the tile Rachel shook her head. This situation was starting to get quite frightening. What on earth could he be dreaming about to keep him awake like this?**

**Conan slept for much of the day. He didn't have any nightmares that time which was fortunate. This didn't help Rachel however; who was monitoring him every few minutes for nightmares.**

**Even after he awoke Conan remained a bit gloomy. As he stared out the window onto the snow-covered streets below, images of Rachel and the goons who shrunk him raced through his mind. He sighed. Why couldn't he get this out of his head? Is there really something deadly waiting to happen? Conan took his focus off the street and turned around just in time to see Rachel pulling on her jacket.**

**"Going somewhere?" Conan asked.**

**Rachel almost jumped at Conan's sudden question. He hadn't talked all day and that was a bit of a surprise. It took much concern off her, though. For most of the day she thought something in his nightmare scarred him for life and he would never talk again… Okay, maybe she was exaggerating but he sure acted like it.**

**"Oh! Well, Christmas is coming up soon and I was hoping I could do a little pre-shopping," Rachel replied as she finished zipping up her coat.**

**"Ah."**

**"Wanna come?"**

**Conan hesitated but eventually thought it might do some good to get some fresh air. Maybe he'll even forget his horrible nightly dreams in the beauty of the winter wonderland outside.**

**"Sure," he chirped and in a flash Conan raced to the door to get his coat.**

**Rachel was glad that he was acting happier but something nagged her. Something just wasn't right about him. He was always different from other kids his age and that's just why Rachel liked him. This, however, wasn't the usual sort of difference. It was terrifying. Something was badly bothering Conan but how can she help him when she doesn't even know what's bothering him? She knew very well that no closet monster could be causing him such depression. Why did he lie though? Was it something really that bad?**

**"I'm ready!"**

**Rachel nodded in reassurance. Before Rachel headed out the door she shouted to her dad who was obliviously searching the channels of his mini TV for Yoko.**

**"Dad, is there anything you would like me to get downtown?"**

**"Huh?"**

**'_Doesn't he have anything better to do?' _Conan mentally asked staring at the "famous" detective with half moon eyes.**

**"Downtown, is there anything you want me to get?" Rachel repeated.**

**"Oh… Well, umm…. A new coat might be nice."**

**"I got you new coat just a few days ago and you haven't worn it at all."**

**"You did?"**

**"Yes! It's sitting on the coat rack right now if you want to go check."**

**"Then I can't think of anything."**

**"Okay. That's fine."**

**Rachel and Conan were about out the door when Richard made a surprise request.**

**"Wait! If you see any Yoko music videos on sale could you get one for me? Oh, and maybe something to eat."**

**Rachel sighed. Sometimes she could hardly believe that this guy was her dad, beer and all.**

**"Okay," she responded with a clearly annoyed tone.**

**Conan noticed this and decided to get her off the subject. She must be tired enough with his nightmares. Trying his best to sound cheerful, he nagged Rachel.**

**"Come on, Rachel! Let's go!"**

**Rachel took one more glance at her pathetic father then took a deep breath.**

**"Okay, Conan."**

**As the Moore daughter shut the door with Conan in front of her she hid her feelings behind a smile. However, deep down inside she was worried, worried that this Christmas wouldn't turn out to be that good. Conan is having nightmares, her dad seems to be drinking more, and Jimmy…**

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**Things remained quiet between the two as they walked alongside the fronts of shops. Each store seemed to be as decorated as its accessories. Streams of colorful little light bulbs lined the perimeter of every window they passed and in some windows there were even seasonal pictures painted in colorful greens, reds, and whites.**

**Rachel didn't seem to notice the colorfulness as her mind rested on her boyfriend. She asked herself questions. Would Jimmy come back home for Christmas? Would he surprise her with a gift out of this world? What if he didn't even come back? The endless questions about Jimmy ended though, when she pictured herself at a lovely five-star restaurant with him. They were sitting on uniquely designed cushions and staring deeply into each other's eyes. She noticed her friend was hiding something behind his back.**

**"What are you hiding?" she questioned, trying to look over his shoulder to see what it was.**

**Jimmy smiled and he then pulled out a beautiful sky blue scarf.**

**"Merry Christmas," he said offering her the scarf.**

**It sparkled in the light as Rachel took it from his hands. To her this was the most wonderful thing to ever happen.**

**"Rachel?"**

**"Yes, Jimmy?"**

**"RACHEL!"**

**The girl broke out of her daydream to find herself smack dab in the middle of the street. A car honked madly at her to get out of their way and Conan, who was still holding hands with Rachel, had a worried expression on his face. As the noisy honks continued she could feel her cheeks become pink. Rachel made no hesitation to get to the other side of the street and let the car through. She humbly rubbed the back of her head, quite a bit embarrassed.**

**"What happened back there?" Conan asked still looking at her with the same worried expression. "First you ignored the no walk signal then you stopped right in the middle of the street."**

**"Umm… I was just thinking about someone…"**

**"Who?"**

**"Err… Let's just forget about that, okay?"**

**Conan had no reason to question her about who she was thinking of. He already knew she was thinking of him, or at least who he used to be. It bothered him. The thing he most wanted to give her was Jimmy. Right now however, that was impossible. As the two started walking again he remembered the dreams he was having every night. Mentally, he cringed. What if that "what-to-give-Rachel" conflict is the least of his worries?**

**"Let's go in here," Rachel suddenly said almost making Conan jump.**

**Rachel was turning to a well-lit shop with a plastic grinning snowman in the window display. Conan let himself be pulled into the somewhat small store. Around him were decorations and clothes galore. He immediately noticed Rachel let go of his hand to look at some seasonal sweaters. Conan sighed and waited on her as she searched the items for something to get.**

**As Rachel fussed over the sweater rack, a bright colorful paper on the wall caught his eye. He walked closer to flier out of curiosity. There in the small pine green print he read:**

**'Come join in the fun of Christmas Concert.**

**Let the holidays ring with everybody's**

**favorite songs and carols. Anybody can**

**join the show, even kids! Just come down**

**to Lily's auditorium. Auditions are**

**Saturday the 11th. Sign up now!'**

**Conan immediately lost all interest in the advertisement. Even if he did want to join the play, the judges would probably keel over at his singing. Being tone deaf was bad enough. There was no need to spread it around. Just as he turned to go back to Rachel a squeaky voice caught him.**

**"HI CONAN!"**

**There, in front of him, was Amy and Mitch.**

**"What a coincidence to see you here," chirped Amy with a bright smile on her face.**

**"Huh? Amy? Mitch? What are you two doing here?" Conan asked.**

**He noticed Amy's eyes were sparkling as if the she discovered the world's biggest mountain of candy. She was clearly excited about something.**

**"We're looking at costumes," the tiny girl squealed.**

**"Huh? Costumes?… Oh, I see," Conan said, "For a Christmas gift right?"**

**"No. We're joining the Christmas Concert," answered Mitch pointing at the flier Conan was reading. "Our parents said it was okay and we were just going over to your house to see if you could join too. We're going to be singing the most classic song of them all."**

**"Oh? And what would that be?"**

**Mitch and Amy gave him great big smiles and chimed, "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer!"**

**The shrunken detective collapsed. What did he do to deserve this?**

**"So are you in?"**

**"Uhh… I don't really sing that good."**

**"Then you can leave the singing to us."**

**"Well, it's just that I'll be busy this Saturday."**

**"With what?" a new, deeper, voice emerged into the conversation. Rachel stood towering the three giving a bit of a glare at Conan.**

**"Oh… Well… Uh…" he stammered.**

**"Don't worry, kids. Conan WILL join you in the concert," Rachel continued.**

**"But Rachel!"**

**"Come on, Conan! You have nothing planned this Saturday and it might do you some good to hang out with your friends." He could hear the two cheer behind him.**

**"Who knows? Maybe you'll start having dreams other than those nightmares," She continued.**

**"Conan's having nightmares?" Amy gasped.**

**"Yeah, and he won't tell me what he's dreaming about."**

**"W-what do you mean? I told you it was the closet monster thing."**

**"Then tell me why you continued to have nightmares after I told you about the closet monster."**

**"Well, now I am having nightmares about something else!"**

**"When I have nightmares I get to sleep with my parents," Mitch interrupted.**

**"Really? I sleep with my favorite teddy bear when I'm having nightmares," added his friend.**

**"Oh? Well, I guess we could try one of those ideas, right Conan."**

**He whimpered. He didn't like where this was going. The mental image of himself sleeping with a toy teddy bear was unbearable.**

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**Heh, this took me a while to write. Well, I hope it was worth your time. Review and I may write more chapters.**


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